Published by the
Center Moriches Free Public Library
235 Main Street
Center Moriches, N.Y. 11934

Copyright 1997

The Moriches Bay Historical Society made the
bound volumes of the Center Moriches Record from their library
available to the Center Moriches Free Public Library in order to
have them microfilmed and indexed by the library. This index
would then become part of a statewide project headed by Stony
Brook University in which local history is made available to
researchers through the study of newspaper articles of the past.

Irma Davin, formerly a reporter for The
Moriches Bay Tide, supplied the library with the first issue
of The Record, dated October 31, 1900, which had been
given to her by John Cummings, the editor and publisher of The
Moriches Bay Tide. Because the fragile condition of this
first issue prevented successful microfilming, it was transcribed
onto the computer and has been printed out for the public's use.

To find information on a specific event,
consult the index heading. For example: under the heading, "Suffolk
County 11/30/33 Votes cast....70,585 34.3.2" 
the first number after the heading of Suffolk County
indicates the month of the issue, the second number indicates the
date of the issue, & the third number indicates the year of
issue. The title of the article in the example is, "Votes
cast...70,585" which is followed by the volume number, 34,
the issue number, 2, and the page number, 2. Because of the
method the paper used, volume numbers sometimes differ from the
actual year of the issue, because the first issue was dated
10/31/1900 which means that each volume year ends in October.
Entries are listed in chronological order which allows the reader
to follow the progress of the news.

Subject headings for all the churches,
synagogues, and religious meetings begin with the word "Religion".
Unless a specific town is named in the heading, the church is
located in Center Moriches.

Lodges are listed by the title of the lodge,
such as Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, Catholic
Daughters of America, International Order of Odd Fellows, Junior
Order of United American Mechanics, Knights of Columbus, Modern
Woodmen of America, Order of the Araranth, Order of the Eastern
Star, Rebekah Lodge & Order of Free Masons.

Clubs and societies are listed by their titles,
such as, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Woman's
Club.

An alphabetical listing of death notices
appearing in The Record is found under the heading, Obiturary
Notices.

If an asterisk follows the date, it indicates
that there was a typographical error in the dating of the paper
and so the searcher may need to consult several issues of the
paper to find the specific article in question.

The newspaper served to bring all sorts of
information and entertainment to the readers. Books &
articles were serialized in the weekly paper a method often used
by famous authors, such as Charles Dickens and George Eliot.
Serializations are indicated in The Record with Book
Series as a general heading. The date listed before the
title of the book means that the book serialization begins in
that issue, and the volume number that follows is from that first
serialization.

Continuation articles have the date and volume
number of the first article in the series listed, and are found
under the heading Center Moriches Record. Some
titles of continuations are, "Economic Highlights",
"Round About Long Island", "In The Good Old
Days", "Can It Be Done", with a drawing
showing the new invention, and the column of school news, "Sunrise
Student", which written by the students of the Center
Moriches School District.

Although no specific mention of Black Friday,
the date of the stock market crash in 1932, was made in the The
Record, articles in the years following indicated that our
Long Island area was in the midst of the Great Depression, and
showed how groups banded together to help. The Record gave
free advertising for anyone looking for a job, benefit card
parties were held, and a druggist gave free labor on all RX's. The
Record included Editorials of encouragment, and the American
Legion was mobilized for the War against Depression.

The
motto used to describe Center Moriches was:"On
the South Side of Long Island where the Sunshine Lingers
Longer."

The spelling of the of our village was debated
in the issue of 11/3/32; whether it should be Centre or
Center.

Some things stay the same: a cartoon in the
January 1, 1927, issue says, "Ultimate in Futility to try
to find a parking space on Saturday afternoon."

And some things change. Our current health
regards cause all to be aware of the dangers of smoking. But not
so in the 20's. In many of the 1927 issues of the paper are
advertisements for cigarettes, using prominent figures, such as
actors and senators. One such ad says, "Senator Charles
Curtis, Leader of U.S. Senate writes, 'Lucky Strikes do not
affect the voice. I notice that most of my colleagues in the
Senate now use them..." [May 27, 1927]. Another says, "Were
you to meet Senator Cameron and talk about smoking, he'd say to
you, 'Public speaking taxes the voice. One must think of the
throat. I find, in smoking, that Lucky Strikes not only give
greater enjoyment but protect the throat." [June 3, 1927].
And, "You delight Blanche Ring if you offered her a Lucky
Strike. She'd say to you; 'The life of an actress is one of
nerve-strain. If she sings, also, her worries are doubled. If she
is mentally tired, she cannot help but convey her fatigue to
those out in front..." [June 10, 1927].

Comic strips appearing in the issues of 1934
were "Our Pet Peeve Along the Concrete," "The
Featherheads," "Finney of the Force,"
"S'Matter Pop," and "Keeping Up With The
Joneses."

Another ad, this time for the advantages of
piano lessons for the children, says, "What Walter Damrosch
says about your children and the piano: This is advice that no
parent can disregard. The piano unlocks all of music's treasures.
Your child deserves the privilege of a piano education. Take
steps now to assure her of this permanent means to
happiness." [April 5, 1928]

An advertisement from Johnson's Photography
Studio, in Patchogue, said, "If anything should happen to
that kiddie and you didn't have a picture...but let's not think
of it!" [February 11, 1927].

Annother ad says, "Nervous Woman Nearly
Drives Husband Away. 'I was very nervous and cross with my
husband. I nearly drove him away. Vinol has changed this and we
are very happy again. Mrs. V. D.' The Moriches Pharmacy."
[February 13, 1920].

An article in the August 15, 1929 issue, tells
that Justice Neville issued a warrant for Bruno, charging
abduction. It seems he had owed the landlady $50 and was told to
leave if he didn't get work. So he left, and the landlady's
daughter left with him.

On March 18, 1927, it was reported that Capt.
W. O. Chichester returned from a 5 week trip to Florida. He went
to Havanna on the Steamship Seneca on the Clyde Line with Captain
Byron Leek and reported that Miami business is at a standstill
because of too many hotels.

The famous Bloomer Girls were to play in Center
Moriches (September 1, 1932). And on July 2, 1931, it was
reported that the only surviving pony express rider, Charles
Miller, also known as Broncho Charley, was to cross the continent
on horseback.

On January 14, 1927, it was reported that since
the bay froze over, Isaac Osborn had been felling trees and cut
down a 200 year old hickory tree on the Ruchart farm to make room
for more farming. In the July 3rd, 1929 issue one is told where
to go to see the rare night blooming cereus plant in East
Moriches. In the same spirit of community interest, it was
reported the David Goldsmith is painting the store fronts in
Goldsmith's Block (June 8, 1934) "and making them look
very attrative".

In the first issue of The Record, a
headline reports, "Moriches is to boom if Charles E.
Blaney's plans are all carried out." The article tells
of how Mr. Blaney has purchased a tract of 68 acres on Old Neck
since the rents in the city are too expensive for his
enterprises. A well-known playwright, he planed to build winter
quarters for his circus on the tract at Old Neck, with an
auditorium for theatrical performances. "His place was
quite attractive to children this summer, as he had ponies,
donkeys, bears, Angora rabbits and numerous other animals at his
pretty summer residence on Lake Avenue, fronting Senekes
Creek."

Also in this first issue it is noted that the
cranberries grown in Perkins Marsh in Riverhead are the size of robin's
eggs and that pickers make excellent wages on account of the
immense size of the berries - 12 cents a pail.

Reading the old newspapers gives an overview of
life as it was then. It provides a useful comparison for the life
of today's reader, sometimes giving an insight about life staying
the same, even as it changes.